Mail-marking machine.



N0. 803,955. PATENTED NOV. '7, 1905.

J. B. YOUNG. MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 21,1903.

JOHN BROOKS YOUNG, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. '7, 1905.

Application filed December 21,1903. Serial No. 186,096-

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BRooKs YOUNG, a citizen of the United States of America. residing at 816Palace street, Montreal, Canada, have invented a certain new and useful 1mprovement in Mail-Marking Machines; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to mail-marking machines, and in particular to rotary machines of this characterthat is to say, machines in which the post-stamp is canceled and the date applied to the mail-matter by means of a rotary stamp or printing-roller.

The improvement is designed to afiord a construction for the die which will be more economical and more readily adjusted than in the constructions heretofore employed for this part of the mail marking or printing roller. Hitherto this die consisted of a cylindrical body, on the annular outer rim of which were engraved or otherwise applied the permanent legends employed, such as the name of the post-ofiice, while within the cylindrical cavityof the same were arranged anumber of removable concentric blocks or sections on which were engraved or otherwise executed the interchangeable data to be marked on the mail-matter, such as the year, month, day, and time of day. These blocks or sections were costly to produce and difficult to manipulate and to firmly secure in place.

It is the object of this invention to provide a die which shall be less costly to manufacture, which can be manipulated more conveniently, and in which there is no danger of misplacing parts, asin the present form, where the interchangeable parts not in use must be laid aside temporarily.

It is also the object of this invention to provide means for readily securing the die in;

place on the printing-roller and as readily to release the same for removal. 7 7

With the above objects in view my invention consists in a die having mounted in a recess thereof a number of printing-disks provideol attheir peripheries with the characters necessary for printing the changeable indications to be applied to the'letter, such as the date, the time of day, and the like, said disks being suitably rotatable on an arbor or pintle. In connection with said disks a suitable locking device is provided to hold the same firmly in the proper printing position.

My invention also involves such other means, devices, and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a printing-roller embodying what I consider the preferable manner of carrying my invention into effect. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section'of the same, showing the parts in position. Fig. A is a similar section showing the die removed. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 represent detail views showing the die in side elevation, bottom plan view, and sectional elevation in planes at right angles to each other, respectively. Figs. 9 and 10 show detail views of one of the printing-disks in elevation and in central section; Fig. 11, a detail view of the locking-pin for holding the printing-disks in their proper position.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a rotary printing-roller of the well-known construction in this class of machines, said roller being provided on its periphery with the usual canceling boss or surface B and having also the usual recess O, adjoining the canceling-boss designed for the reception of the die D. (Shown in position in Figs. 1 and 4 and removed in Fig. 3.) The die is provided with a guide-groove d, which when the said die is in position, as in Fig. 3, engages a stud (0, arranged at the proper point in the recess 0 of the roller A, which stud while permitting a radial movement of the die D prevents its rotation. The die D is locked in position against the stress of a buffer-spring E, arranged in a recess 0, forming a continuation of the recess O in the roller A by a spring-actuated locking pin or latch F engaging a socket (Z in the die when the latter has been pressed back to the sufficient extent to bring the printing-surface of the die into proper position. The pin F has sufiicient play in the socket (Z to permit the die to yield somewhat against the stress of the spring E, and thereby to enable the same to adapt itself to unevenness and varying thicknesses of the matter to be .stamped. As shown, the pin or latch F is guided in a suitable way a in the roller A and is mounted on the forward end of the lever f, which in turn is fulcrumed at f, while the forward end is pressed toward the recess U by a spring f secured to the roller, as shown. All of the parts first described are suitably arranged in-a peripheral recess of of the roller, so as to be out of the way of the matter to be stamped.

By referring particularly to Figs. 5 to 10 it will be noted that the die D consists of the ordinary cylindrical metal part or casing shown having an annular or otherwise shaped surface G, bearing the proper permanent legend, such as the name of the post-oflice, to be stamped on the letter, which legend is cut or formed thereon in the usual way. Within the central recess or opening cl of the die D are arranged the changeable portions of the stampfor example, for stamping or printing the date. As shown, they consist of a number of printing-disks H,suflicient in number to print the year, the name of the month, number of the day, the time of the day, &c., as will be understood. The die D is provided at opposite sides with lateral openings J,extending into the recess (P, which openings enable the manipulator to grasp and hold stationary the printing-disks H, which are not to be changed while the remaining disk is being changed or partially rotated to bring the proper character into its printing position. The printing-disks H are loosely mounted on a common arbor h, and, as will be seen by referring to Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, they are provided with an annular series of holes corresponding in number to the number of characters it on their peripheries. These perforations or holes are so arranged that the holes of all the disks will register, so as to enable a locking-pin I, Figs. 5, 6, 7, 11, to pass through all of the disks when the desired characters are alined in proper printing position. The locking-pin I, as will be noted, is provided with a screw-thread, as 2', near its turningknob z", the die being properly threaded to receive the screw-thread c', as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The other end of the locking-pin 1 passes into a perforation on the opposite side of the die, as will be readily understood. The printing-disks, as seen, are all properly beveled, so that their printing peripheries will conform to the curvature of the printingroller A. The turning-knob e" of the lockingpin Iis cut away at 6 so as to be clear of the locking-pin F for securing the die in place, and the die is provided with an interior bevel or incline 6Z2 to. enable the same to readily ride over and thrust aside the locking-pin as it is being pushed into place on the printing-roller after the dating-stamp has been properly adjusted. When the die D has been pushed into the recess C to the sutficient extent, the springpin F will automatically snap into engagement with the socket d, thereby holding the die in place. To release the die, it is only necessary to draw back the lever f against the stress of the spring f when the bufferspringE will throw the die forward sufficiently to be grasped and removed.

What 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a mail-marking machine a printingroller provided with a recess, a hollow die occupying said recess and having a socket, and a spring locking-pin adapted to engage said socket, in combination with a number of rotary printing-disks mounted on a common arbor within the die, each disk provided with a series of concentric perforations, and a locking-pin passing therethrough.

2. A printing-roller for a mail-marking ma chine having a recess for securing a die, and a transverse perforation communicating with said recess, in combination with a hollow die having a socket, a locking-pin engaging said socket, a lever fulcrumed to the printingroller carrying said locking-pin, a spring for bearing on said lever, a number of rotary printing-disks mounted on a common arbor Within the die, each disk provided with a series of concentric perforations, and a lockingpin passing therethrough.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BROOKS YOUNG.

Witnesses GUsTAV SoHWEIN, FLORENCE HANsMUN. 

